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Followers
The Followers are a cult that first appeared in DragonLight which obey the orders of the Voice rather then Paladin. Other names for the group include the Collective and the New Understanding. They believe in a 'higher order' of Wulder's worship and claim their society is more dedicated to Wulder then the average person. In actuality, it is a cult created by Pretender to twist the beliefs of people away from Wulder. Members live in villages called Paladise, and their symbol is a Sellaran bird. Paladin, Kale, and Bardon consider the Followers to be as great a threat to Amara as Mot Angra. Recruitment When they recruit, they give their message, watch those who listen, and approach only the most likely candidates. They prefer to recruit members with property. Possible members get the title 'Seeker' and are required to sit under a mentor. If you gain acceptance, then you become a 'Novice.' It works like any con. The Followers make the target feel important - that he is one of the few worthy of the calling. Then they make promises. Jump through this hoop and you will become more important, more worthy. Each time you jump through the next hope, your value in the community will elevate. In the end, you are promised power and glory equal to that of the Voice, an empty promise. Beliefs They claim to be a new conduit for Wulder. According to them, Paladin showed weakness in the war, and Wulder chose the Voice to replace him. They teach similar to Wulder's beliefs, but it has been described that there is a "seed of hearsay within each truth they tell." They also teach that Wulder has extinguished the evil and that Pretender has been either killed or banished. There is no reason to be alert against evil as it no longer exists. Once someone is accepted into the organization, they travel to a transit station. If they have children, the children are separated from the family there and taken to another facility to be raised by others while the adults travel to a Paladise village. When the parents are sufficiently knowledgeable to instruct their children, the family will be reunited. Members are only allowed to have children if they are properly enlightened. They claim that older people are also in a special training structure away from the adults, but it is strongly implied that they are killed. Reasons for this might be that they are set in their ways and might cause trouble as they won't change their thinking, or because they are too old to be of much physical use in the communities. Hearsay Their recruitment methods are in direct opposition to Wulder's wishes as he did not hand over the right to decide who should be his followers to a handful of representatives. He also never refused or excluded those who wished to learn more about them. They are a strictly ordered society who believe that Wulder's love has to be earned bit by bit, and the only way to move up ranks is to show you are capable of humility and let yourself be humiliated. Listeners must walk with their eyes down and their feet on the ground at all times, and so have to shuffle instead of walk normally. They are taught that one must suffer to earn Wulder's love. Thus, they eat dull food, are not allowed to gamble, flirt, play games, have any kind of music, and can drink only water. Contraband items include books, outsider's clothing, clocks, letters, sugar, salt, and many other things. Members also have a prejudice against all things that fly. They do not eat the flesh of birds and flying insects are loathed. They also scorn dragons of any kind. Followers even believe that the enormous Sellaran birds will rise up again, despite being extinct, and destroy the dragons. Paladise Villages These multiple villages are where the adults of the Followers live. The architecture has clean lines and all houses are identical to each other. The buildings are plain with one door and a window on each side of it. Two windows are set in each of the three remaining walls. Inspections Five nights a week, the citizens will march around the town for an hour in a set pattern. The pattern is set, the pace is kept by the playing of instruments, and the formation is predetermined. With the people in the streets, the houses are searched for contraband. The quarters must also meet certain standards of tidiness. The Followers know their privacy is being invaded, but don't mind as they earn advancement by passing a certain number of inspections. The excuse for having the people participate in a forced march as their homes are searched is discipline. The march provides exercise of the mind and body. The brisk pace improves circulation and the function of the lungs. The precision drill requires concentration and sharpens the mind, especially since preform the march blindfolded. The routine never varies, and if they start at exactly the same time and don't vary pace or path, the march proceeds in perfect synchrony and the blindfolded groups do not collide. The citizens enjoy it as they can hear music and it's the only way they can move without shuffling. Outfits Depending on their rank, they wear different colored clothing. For example, echoes wear light purple and novices wear yellow. Members wear the exact same outfit every day with the only difference being color. The outfits consist of loose ankle-length trousers, sandals, and a tight-fitting long sleeve shirt. Over it, they wear a straight piece of cloth draped over her shoulders that reaches to their knees. It is similar to a mantle. Ranks * Voice (highest. There is only one person of this rank.) * Echo (five per Paladise village) * Inquirer * Repeat * Listener (ten steps to get to next level) * Novice (lowest official member) * Seeker (unofficial member sitting in) Members can advance ranks through time, but a quick way to achieve "purity" is to donate a sum of money to them. History They originated in central Amara between the events of ''DragonFire'' and ''DragonLight''. By the time of DragonLight, they have expanded to have chapters in other parts of the continent. They gain enough power that they are able to usurp Paladin, lock him in the dungeon, and take control of Amara with little resistance before the end of DragonLight. At the end of DragonLight, the Voice and other high-ranking members are caught by Paladin's troops and the organization is disbanded. The high ranking members will be prosecuted and the people that have been tricked will be examined one by one. Those who characters have not been hardened by the Follower's heretical doctrine will be given a chance to put aside their loyalty to the Voice. Paladin was certain that many will learn the error of their ways with counseling.